It is not secret that relations between Germany and Greece are very troubled. If the two countries were a married couple, they would have certainly have to seek professional counseling, should they want to save their marriage. Bob Denham , a young British director, describes with humour not only the troubled Greek-German relation but also the economic and ‘national’ stereotypes within the European Union.

“A Very European Break Up, a satire inspired by the European debt crisis. The short film tells the story of the unhappily married Germaine and Greco. She’s German. He’s Greek.”

Plot

The Greek (Greco) husband is lavish and unproductive, the wife, Germaine, while she is hardworking and a saver.

Germaine finds a mountain of unpaid bills and the dispute begins. She asks him to sell his properties (PC, guitar, TV-set) and accuses him of “not making money.”

“You don’t let me earn money,” he fires back and accuses her: “For every new problem, you invent new rules!”

They argue and the marriage is about to break up.

Their Spanish neighbor intervenes, telling Germaine that she needs the support of Greco in order to earn money.

Furious Germaine shouts “PIGS!”

A British neighbor tries to help things out, he urges them to stray together as he is phlegmatic but very worried.

Things are serious. the marriage seems to be over.

But when the Spanish neighbor asks him, if he still loves his blond wife, he replies….

Yiannis Alexiou was born and grew up on the island of Kos in Greece. He says of the crisis: ‘The Troika that have been supervising Greece for the past year or so have spent most of their time bullying or taking holidays away rather than coming up with any real solutions.’

Fleur Poad was brought up bilingually in Germany with a German mother and an English father. She adds: ‘I really have no idea about the financial crisis as I have always been good with my own money.’

Dolores Reynals says: ‘As a half Spanish-half Argentinian I am no stranger to economic crisis. But I am having a hard time having a view on this one, it just makes me think about not spending the virtual money I have made-up in my head.’

British born Alex Roseman started work in the City before making the natural switch to acting. He has always said, ‘Debt crisis: It’s happened before and it’ll happen again.’

The film’s music has been arranged by half-Greek, half-German composer Markos M-Triantafyllou, whose contribution is just as confused as he is.

This is the latest film from production start-up Econ Films– movies about how the economy affects us all. Econ Films is run by British newcomer Bob Denham, an economics PhD dropout who has flirted with journalism, political activism and investment banking.

What useless drivel is this? I’m all for making fun of a serious subject, but I’m NOT ok with perpetuating stereotypes. The video is not satirical; it’s just saying EXACTLY what we keep hearing from northern Europeans.

e.g. that Germans are paying. The truth is, the Germans are loaning, and making a tidy profit with the interest. It will only be lost money if Greece goes bankrupt.

e.g. that the Greeks are being asked to do without perks (the guitar, computer, and TV in the video). In fact, they are being asked to do with smaller pensions, less healthcare, etc. etc.

e.g. that the Greeks are the ones who did all the lying and cheating. Actually, they lied and cheated with German companies, under the noses of German regulators and politicians.